Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons^™

Policy Advocacy - Advocating For Redesigned Adult Learning In Support Of Value-Added Teacher Evaluation, Caletha White

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Redesigning adult learning in order to move toward excellence in the classroom is critical to improving the state of the reform work occurring in our schools. Building coherence among teams of educators by linking staff development to student achievement is the goal of the advocated policy. Providing a professional learning network for educators to work in teams, engage in meaningful and relevant work and develop transformative practices for the classroom is essential to school reform. Creating practical learning networks for classroom teachers that are based on student achievement, current practice, and staff needs is the basis for the policy. …

The Development Of Organizational Training: Identifying Generational Differences And Perceptions In Computerized Learning Systems In Government Organizations, Gregory Negron

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the degree of effectiveness and preferences as it related to various computer-based training (CBT) and instructor-based training (IBT) types as perceived by baby boomer, Generation X, and millennial generational Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) employees based in San Diego, California, as measured by the Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Extended Learning Institute Survey.

Methodology: The study used a descriptive, causal-comparative research design. A survey was administered to collect demographic data and responses that described and determined the degree of difference and effectiveness for various CBT types …

An Examination Of The Factors That Influence The Transfer Of Learning Among K-12 Educators Participating In Professional Learning Communities, Charcelor C. Mccullum

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the factors that either support or inhibit learning transfer among educators within K-12 professional learning communities (PLCs) as well as to obtain a better understanding of how adult education principles relate to teacher learning and job satisfaction within this environment. Although research regarding professional learning for educators within the K-12 setting is available, much of this research is not focused directly on adult education principles and often fails to examine learning transfer. The present study addresses both areas using a two-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to obtain both qualitative …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Educational Games That Keep Score Of Cooperative Performances, Theodore Alden Wohlfarth

Dissertations

The scoring systems used in traditional sports and games are founded on the zero-sum premise that players are on opposite sides and one side can win only if the other side loses. These scoring systems may be effective at nurturing zero-sum mindsets and providing data for assessing performance in win-lose relationships. If so, games that use different scoring systems can be used to facilitate the development of collaborative mindsets, nurture win-win skills between diverse groups, and enable objective self-assessment of performances in non-zero-sum events when engaging with those on “other sides.” Although economic game theory has rich reservoirs of research …

Analysis Of A Stem Education Professional Development Conference For Pre-Service Educators, Keeta Holmes, Pamela Atkinson-Hamilton, Tiffanni Durham, Gloria Hardrict-Ewing, Deborah Heisler, Christina Hughes, Rosalinda Williams, Lane Walker, Christopher Young-El, Amy Dooley

Dissertations

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines are attracting increased attention in education. The iSTEM 2017 conference was a professional development program designed to acquaint pre-service teachers with interdisciplinary, research-based STEM instructional strategies that can transform traditional classroom instruction into dynamic learning environments.

The STEM Education Scholars (STEMES) is a Learning Community of Practice, housed in the College of Education, at a midsized mid-western public research university. The program of study focused on designing a professional development program for future Pre-K12 teachers. The iSTEM 2017 conference presented by the STEMES Community of Practice sought to inform pre-service teachers of STEM …

A Mixed-Methods Study: Self-Efficacy And Barriers To Participation In Workplace Wellness Programs, Massiel Perez-Calhoon

Dissertations

America needs a healthy workforce to sustain the country. The scourge of obesity continues to plague Americans despite government initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act and wellness programs in the workplace to combat this epidemic. However, despite initiatives to make America healthy, barriers continued to impede the nation’s health. Lack of awareness and sensitivity to what motivates individual participants versus group participants built formidable barriers to accessing all workplace employees equitably. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the intent of this study was to explore the relationship between self-efficacy and the impact on participation and engagement when …

The Effect Of Professional Learning Activities On Implementation Of California’S Quality Professional Learning Standards In Alignment With The Local Control Funding Formula Priority 2, Sadie Pinotti

Dissertations

The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the professional learning activities that experts perceive are necessary for local education agencies (LEAs) to effectively implement California’s Quality Professional Learning Standards (QPLS) in alignment with the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Priority 2. The study also examined the degree of importance that the identified professional learning activities will have and those most likely to be implemented. This study involved descriptive statistics using a Delphi study method. The Delphi panel consisted of 18 experts in the field of education and professional learning activities. The Delphi study consisted of 3 rounds of …

Guided Educational Tourism As Informal Science Education: An Empirical Study, Joseph Martin Lane

Dissertations

The scientific research and education communities have long had the goal of advancing the publics’ understanding of science. Informal science education is a powerful mechanism for shaping human conduct, enhancing quality of life, and advancing the publics’ understandings and values regarding science. Guided educational tours (that present science content) provide visitors with unique opportunities to observe and discuss scientific phenomena in the field. Available empirical research related to learning science from guided educational tours is, at best, limited. Research leading to the development of effective guided educational tours that present and interpret scientific information is of interest to both non-profit …

A Mixed-Methods (Quantitative-Qualitative) Study To Identify The Perceived Level Of, Zeky Zardo

Dissertations

Different approaches to developing leaders have been established through various forms of self-assessment, action learning, and education and training activities (Smither et al., 2005). The existing body of research on the impact and success of college and university leadership development programs focuses heavily on undergraduate leadership programs and not graduate-level programs such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) or the doctorate. The purpose of this mixed-methods (quantitative–qualitative) study was to identify the perceived level of transformational leadership skill development by students enrolled in a doctoral program in organizational leadership. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to …

The Factors Affecting The Retention Of Adult Basic Education Teachers In Kentucky, Alma K. Combs

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that affect retention of adult basic education teachers in Kentucky. This qualitative study utilized data from interviews conducted with former or retired adult basic education teachers in Kentucky. Vrooms expectancy theory was examined as the theoretical framework to review the outcomes and their relationship to this theory. Results from this investigation determined several significant findings, with low salary being the main determining factor that affects retention of adult basic education teachers in Kentucky. There are additional factors that affect retention of adult basic education teachers in Kentucky such as: (1) …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Emotional Literacy Instruction On At-Risk Students, Shannon H. Garcia

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction for at-risk adolescents ages 13 to 18 at the high school level. Of particular interest is the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction on at-risk youth Grades 9-12 in secondary high schools’ 8-week-long social-emotional literacy class through Project AWARE, particularly in the areas of suspension, expulsion, attendance, connectivity, attitude toward school, resiliency, and relational aggression rates; the data were analyzed using archival data and teacher interview. Project AWARE, the social-emotional literacy intervention examined in this study, educates and provides mentorship for at-risk students, while also providing a group educational component on relationships …

Military Resilience And Transformation: A Narrative Inquiry Highlighting The Challenges Faced By Military Veterans Of The Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan During Their Transition From Combat To Civil Society, Russell S. Lowe

Dissertations

This research examines major transitions in military life experienced by veterans of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These transitions include reintegration challenges that deployed military members encounter as they blend back into family, community, church and a peacetime setting, from the war-zone to a civilian career and lifestyle. While most military personnel are resilient and have the ability to recover from the difficult circumstances associated with combat, such as experiences and exposure to traumatic situations, many experience problems handling stress over the months or years of transitioning from a war-zone to civil society. The research focused on: the …

Resonating Frequencies Of A Virtual Learning Community: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Online Faculty Development At Columbia College Chicago, David S. Noffs

Dissertations

Despite opportunities for artist educators to locate their practice in online learning environments, many remain reluctant to embrace virtual classrooms. As schools are being forced to create an increasing array of online courses, administrators are reluctant or unable to provide additional resources for equipping faculty with the skills needed to support online course development. Specific guidelines to train faculty how to teach online are often fragmented or local. Programs that demonstrate the ability to grow vibrant and connected online cultures may help guide future faculty development.

The Virtual Learning Community (VLC) Fellowship program at Columbia College Chicago supports informal, faculty …

California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates

Dissertations

Community colleges in California are the primary source for preparing the early childhood care and education (ECE) workforce. The California child development lab school mission is to prepare ECE practitioners, provide a laboratory where college students can study and research child development/education, and offer a service to children and families. There are many benefits that are derived from laboratory schools but many community college lab schools have been reduced and/or closed over the past three years. The purposes of this Delphi study were (a) to examine the most pressing issues, problems and barriers facing California community colleges child development labs …

Using Online Education To Transition Teaching Assistants To Teacher Certification: Examining The Differences Among Teacher Education Programs, Billie Jean Tingle

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare The University of Southern Mississippi elementary education teacher candidates that completed the online or traditional route to determine if there was a significant difference in professional knowledge and skills using Praxis II test scores. The participants included 60 Teacher Assistant Program (TAP) online teacher candidates and 564 traditional face-to-face teacher candidates. This study also compared the two groups’ perceptions of self-efficacy. The instrument used in this part of the research study was the Teacher Education Preparation Program Exit Survey (Appendix A). A selection of the participants that completed their teacher internship during …

Through The Lens Of Perspective Transformation: The Impact Of Parent Education On The Parenting Styles Of Court-Ordered Participants, Mariann Baucum Taylor

Dissertations

Parenting is one of the most widespread developmental tasks of adulthood. Simply put, most adults are or eventually will be parents. Even though parenting is commonplace, it is nonetheless a complex and sometimes overwhelming process. Support for parents can be found in the form of parent education, a topic which has been extensively researched over the last several decades. This research consistently upholds the efficacy of parent education (Heath & Palm, 2009; Marienau & Segal, 2006; Miller & Sambell, 2002); however, there is far less research related to parent education for court-ordered parents. This study sought to fill that gap …

A Study On Becoming An Alternatively Certified Career And Technical Educator, Kymberli Cotton-Flanagan

Dissertations

This mixed method study examined the perspectives of twelve practicing high school CTE teachers engaged in a newly approved university model for alternative certification.

Using Creswell's (2008) Sequential Exploratory Design and the lens of adult learning theory as established in Knowles' (1970) Theory of Andragogy, this study examines how participants in this CTE alternative certification program, describe their experiences as related to the assumptions of adult learning. Relationships between participant's adult learning preferences and the extent to which they experienced their program were also examined.

While literature on alternative certification theories and implications is available, specific research on the use …

“The Negro Speaks Of Rivers” An African Centered Historical Study Of The Selfethnic Liberatory Education Nature And Goals Of The Poetry Of Langston Hughes: The Impact On Adult Education, Sarah E. Howard

Dissertations

The purposes of this historical study were to 1) document the Selfethnic Liberatory adult education nature and goals of the poetry of Langston Hughes (from 1921 to 1933); and 2) to document the impact this poetry had on members of the African Diaspora. In addition, the goal of this research was to expand the historical knowledge base of the adult education field, so that it is more inclusive of the contributions of African Americans.

This study addressed the problem that the historical and philosophical literature of the field does not to any significant degree include the intellectual and adult education …

Teacher Success, Assessment, And Evaluation Practices In Service-Learning Composition Courses, Faith-Ann Abiola Mcgarrell

Dissertations

Problem. Over the last 15 years, service-learning in first-year composition has emerged as a critical area of study. Service-learning in composition places students in writing environments within the community, encourages reading and writing about social issues, and provides the opportunity for students to participate in community projects. A significant problem with this approach is the alignment between outcomes of the discipline and those of service. Practitioners feel that a clear understanding of compatibility between the two areas of study would result in better practice and further buy-in by those who do not teach from a service-learning perspective.

Method. In service-learning …

Developmental Processes Critical To The Formation Of Servant Leaders In China, Thomas William Horn

Dissertations

Problem. This study concerns three matters: the leader formation process in general, servant leadership formation in particular, and the application to crossing cultures, with China as the primary context. The central problem of this study revolves around leader formation . What events, experiences, people and other formative processes contributed as critical to the formation of exemplary Christian leaders in China?

Method. The design of this research was a narrative, qualitative study that explored the central phenomenon of leader formation. The researcher was the instrument to collect data through in-depth interviews. This study purposefully selected three exemplary Christian Chinese leaders. The …

Developing Life Skills : Perceptions Of Graduates Of The Adult, Non-Traditional Business And Management Programs At Indiana Wesleyan University, Joseph Robert Flowers

Dissertations

Problem. Indiana Wesleyan University teaches all of its adult courses using 10 skills as a foundation. This study determined the perceived attitudes of its graduates regarding the importance of and their relative progress in these 10 areas.

Method. A survey questionnaire was developed and a stratified random sample of graduates was surveyed. A two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the differences and interactions among the graduates based on two variables: major and gender.

Results. Graduates perceived the following four skills as "very important": Problem Solving, Oral Communication, Writing Effectively, and Ethics. Six skills were perceived …

The Impact Of Selected Barriers On Students Completing Community College In Michigan, Terri Lynn Burt

Dissertations

Research studies have been conducted to investigate barriers that inhibit the ability of adult students to obtain a postsecondary education (Powell, 1989; Shields, 1990). These studies suggest that there are three distinct categories that could be used to describe this phenomenon: (1) situational, (2) dispositional, and (3) institutional. The overall purpose of this study was to determine what barriers, if any, are experienced by nontraditional African-American students in selected Midwest community colleges in comparison to White adult students according to selected demographic variables (e.g., age, sex, marital status, number of children, employment, status, income, and race). More specifically, this study …

Teaching/ Learning Experiences: Meanings Constructed By Participants Ini A Degree Completion Program For Adult Students, Natalie K. Manbeck

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning that teachers and their adult students construct of their classroom experiences and to see how those meanings impact the teaching/ learning process. Because of the multiple factors affecting an educational experience, this study took the view that this should be explored in a holistic way. Most educational research focuses on the teacher's perspective, with students and their learning considered as the result of the educational process. In order to more fully understand what is occurring in classrooms and what students are actually learning, it is important to ascertain student perceptions …

The Relationship Between Dropout And Peer Mentoring In An Adult High School Completion Program, Jo Ann Pastor

Dissertations

Adult education encompasses a broad spectrum of institutions and activities which share a universal problem of retaining participants. Dropouts from adult high school completion programs are at a particular disadvantage economically. The literature is inconclusive on the causes of or remedies for program attrition. Although mentoring has been promoted and researched as a component of adult development, its use as a dropout prevention strategy for adult high school completion students is not reported in the literature.

An experimental study was conducted to test the relationship between peer mentoring and the dropout rate in an adult high school completion program. The …

The Development And Field Testing Of A Semi-Programed Text For The Establishment Of Reading And Writing Repertoires With Mexican-Illiterate Adults, Marco Wilfredo Salas Martinez

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a Semi-Programed text for establishing reading and writing skills for Spanish-speaking illiterate adults, and to compare it with the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education Reading and Writing program. Thirty-two male prisoners incarcerated at the Regional Prison of Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (a) Semi-Programed I; (b) Semi-Programed II; (c) Conventional I; and (d) Conventional II. Subjects of the Semi-Programed Instructional condition groups were taught to read and write with a Semi-Programed text, which was based on the behavioral principles and …

The Certification Of Training And Development Professionals: Employers' Perception Of Problem Prevalence And Certification's Efficacy, Susan Lynn Atchison-Day

Dissertations

The certification of training and development (HRD) professionals is under consideration by professional training associations. Certification programs can be advantageous; however, they are also costly and present potentially undesirable side effects. Therefore, verifying the worth of a certification program is a logical prerequisite to design and implementation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the problems for which intervention, through a certification program, might be needed and the ability of certification to meet the need.

This study gathered data to determine whether companies: (a) had experienced common problems for which certification might be a solution; (b) viewed certification as …

A Curriculum Data Base For Continuing Education For Ministers In The Colombia-Venezuela Union Mission Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Edgar J. Escobar

Dissertations

Background and Purpose of the Study. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is seeking research data on which to base the planning and development of efficient continuing education for ministry programs geographically and culturally adapted to the territories where the ministers are serving. As a needs assessment, the study sought data regarding the societies in which the program functions, the ministers' attitudes toward their ministerial training, their needs and aspirations on subject matter, learning-situation preferences, motivations, and obstacles for continuing education. The study also surveyed the opinions of administrators, departmental directors, and lay leaders at the Union, Conference, and Mission levels.

Methodology. …

Training Behavioral Assessment Interviewers: A Comparison Of Two Procedures, Raymond G. Miltenberger

Dissertations

Two procedures were used to teach behavioral assessment interviewing skills; a training manual and a one-to-one training procedure consisting of instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback. Four subjects, two graduate students and two seniors, were trained with each procedure. Interviewing skills were recorded in simulated assessment interviews conducted by each subject across baseline and treatment conditions. Each training procedure was evaluated in a multiple baseline across subjects design. The results showed that both procedures were equally effective for training behavioral interviewing skills, with all subjects reaching a level of 90-100% correct responding. Finally, a group of experts in behavior analysis rated …

Planning A Needs-Assessment-Based Approach To Continuing Education Programs For Seventh-Day Adventist Clergy In The Eastern Africa Division, Baraka G. Muganda

Dissertations

Problem. This study attempts to determine the extent to which the needs-assessment-based approach to educational planning can be validated and used in planning continuing-education programs for the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) ministers serving in the Eastern Africa Division (EAD).

Method. The sample of the population for this study was drawn from the SDA clergy and a selected group of laity in the EAD. The data were gathered through a two-part questionnaire. The first part sought the demographic profiles of respondents. The second part was designed to enable the respondents to rank each one of the thirty items for preparation and importance. …